Worship Wednesdays - Changing of the Seasons...

In theory, we should be switching from Winter to Spring some time soon. Looking out my window at our icy, snowy neighbourhood, it's hard to tell that life is hiding in the dirt, ready for that one sunny day to start a new journey of growth.

This week is a changing of the seasons in our home.

On Sunday, we left St. Andrews By-the-Sea, New Brunswick. For a little over 2 months, we lived in a cozy house in this beautiful small town as Musicians in Residence at All Saints Church.

Our initial goals included introducing contemporary music to the congregation and building the worship teams. It was hard to tell what that would look like exactly until we arrived at the church and started to meet the community. Over the 2 month period, we started a contemporary ecumenical service, played for the Sunday worship, appeared on local TV, led the choir, started a worship band, wrote & arranged new songs, worked with the youth group & Sunday school, hosted workshops, taught private lessons, performed concerts, and enjoyed all the town had to offer.

There are too many wonderful moments to share with you, but I want to share one of my favourites:

One Wednesday, we were preparing for the evening worship. This was our week to debut the worship band - a brand new venture for this church. Soundcheck and rehearsal were finished. Folks were gathering for the evening meal, chatting and finding their tables. Sounds of clanking pots and laughter were coming from the kitchen as dishes made their way to the buffet. Children were chasing each other around the tables as smiling parents told them to slow down.

I was feeling a few pre-worship jitters - would the band be okay? Would the tech all keep together? What if people didn't want a band? Gerald gently grabbed my arm and turned me to face the busy room. He whispered in my ear. "Five weeks ago, none of this was here." And he was right. In just a few weeks, something wonderful had grown from an empty room and a powerful idea - 

what if we tried church in a new way?

We're so grateful to the people of All Saints for inviting us for this musical adventure, and to the community of St. Andrews for sharing their lives with us.

So this week, we're changing seasons in our home. We're looking back over the lessons of the past season, giving thanks, and wrapping up loose ends. And we're looking forward into the next season - a new CD, our first concert tour of the prairie provinces, and a pile of other dreams and plans we've just started to sort through.

The adventure begins again...

You can see the photos we took during our St. Andrews adventure HERE.

And this is this interview we had during our first week:

Worship Wednesdays is a weekly series to encourage and equip worship leaders and songwriters. Bookmark this page & visit us every Wednesday!